St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1887-03-19
pulling him from his hiding -place, had
smashed him to pieces.

pulling Hill IIOn HkS HluluSS- place, A'ti
smashed him to pieces.
The news next obtained of the ele
plant was that he had killed several
persons hard by, among them 4 man
named Pandu, whom he had surprised
in company with some other men and
had singled out and chased. A man
named Dekal was asleep in the machdn
outside the village of Mate, when he
heard Pandu crying out, "Sidd Ganesh,
Sidd Ganesh!' and sound of heavy
blows. Il thought" he subsequently
told the Deputy Commissioner, THAT
some one had come to steal the rice,
and was beating the man, so | called
out: Who is ill-treating him? Look
out! | am coming.'' At the same
moment, he heard the rush of heavy
body through the grass, and had just
caught sight of the elephant when it
seized the mdchdn with its trunk and
| heaved it over. On recovering from
his fall, he took to his heels and es-
| capped. The villagers on hearing this
story were in a woeful plight. They
sat up all night in companies, and the
everyday work of the village was neg
lected, men and women fearing to 90
outside it. The elephant then seems to
have continued its wanderings, shaking
people out of naachans and killing them
whenever he could. 1t heaved man
named Mott and his servant out of their
machan. They got on their legs and
ran towards the village with the ele-
plant in pursuit. He came up with
them before they had gone very far,
and, Selling the servant, pounded him
to pulp, his master continuing to fly
for his life with the poor fellows de-
spairing shrieks ringing in his ears.
After this the elephant went westward
to the village of Kesa, where he sur
prised a man and his wife in their
machan. They had barely time enough
to get down and run for the village.
The man, who was ahead, had just az
rived at his house, when he heard
shrieks from his wife, and turning
about, saw the elephant inside the in
closure with the woman in his trunk.
He was lifting her up above his back
and smashing her on the ground. On
seeing the man, the animal dropped the
woman and made for him; but he es-
capped into the village.
During the whole of the 4th of No
vember, the elephant was in the scrub
jungle situated between the village of
Sale and the left bank of the Dro river.
Hundreds of people from the high bank
on either side looked on from distance
at the animal as he alternately fed on
the bamboos in the ravines and rolled
himself in the water of the river. About
thirteen or fourteen people from Mate,
armed with two guns and some swords,
resolved to cross the river and go to the
Dhyde Bazaar. They had just arrived
at a place where the bank was high and
precipitous and the water deep, and
seeing no signs of the elephant, were
wondering where he had gone to, when
one of their number, who had Jagged
behind, called to them to run, as the
elephant was upon them. They faced
around, and seeing the savage beast
coming at them with his ears back, they
jumped into the water close under the
bank and held on to the long grass
overhanging the edge of the stream to
keep their heads above water. The ele-
plant came up,and stretched his trunk
over the water.as if in search of his VIC
Tins, when one of the party struck out in
the stream and began to swim across.
Immediately the elephant saw him, he
moved quickly down stream to place
where the bank was sloping, and slid
ing into the water, started in pursuit.
The man got across the stream into a
dry watercourse, in which, few PAGES
from the water, there was a perpendicu-
lar ascent of about five feet. UP this
he scrambled, and had just managed
to get few feet up tree, when the
elephant came up, and, breasting the
perpendicular bank, stretched out his
trunk to lay hold of the man. Luck
lily, he was just out of reach, and he
lost no time getting up higher. Being
unable either to reach the man or to
get up the steep bank, the elephant
walked short distance down stream,
and getting up the rivers bank in an
other place, came up to the south side
of the tree. Stretching out his
trunk, and failing to get
hold of the man, he tore down
some branches; and making another
circuit, came up to the tree from the
east. Again the fierce animal failed to
reach the man; and again he made a
circuit in the jungle, and came up to
the tree from the north side, where,
again failing in his purpose, he broke